Rice University operates under the approval of “NC-SARA”, National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements.  As required by the NC-SARA student complaint process, complaints against a SARA participating institution must first go through the institution’s own grievance procedures. All complaints regarding student grades or conduct violations are governed by the institution and the laws of the institution’s home state.  If a student is not satisfied with the outcome of the institutional grievance process, the student may appeal, within two years of the incident, to the SARA portal agency of the institution’s home state (Texas).

For all complaints regarding Texas degree-granting postsecondary institutions participating in SARA, complete the Student Complaint and Release Form and email the form to Student.Complaints@highered.texas.gov.  For more information regarding Texas’ student grievance process, please see the THECB website.

For those student complaints not resolved at the institutional level who have followed all grievance procedures and protocols defined by the University, and do not reside in a SARA member state, they may seek advisement from the appropriate office in the student’s state of residence (see list of agencies below).  However, students residing in the state of Texas or in a SARA member state should follow the complaint procedures outlined above. 

Note: This list includes contact information for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories and should not be construed as informative of what agencies regulate the institution or in what states the institution is authorized to operate. States, through the relevant agencies or Attorneys General Offices will accept complaints regardless of whether an institution is authorized to operate in that state.  Also, the University does not maintain the state and territory websites, and information may change without the University’s knowledge.

Alabama Community College System

Attn: Division of Academic and Student Affairs
PO Box 302130
Montgomery, AL 36130-2130

334.293.4500

Alabama Community College System

Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education
PO Box 110505,
Juneau, Alaska 99811-0505

800.441.2962

Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education

Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education
1400 W. Washington, Room 260
Phoenix, AZ 85007

602.542.5709

Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education

Arkansas Division of Higher Education
114 East Capitol
Little Rock, AR 72201-3818

501.371.2000

Arkansas Division of Higher Education

California Department of Consumer Affairs
Consumer Information Center
1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N-112
Sacramento, California 95834

833.942.1120

California Department of Consumer Affairs

Colorado Department of Higher Education
Commission on Higher Education
1300 Broadway Rd., Second Floor
Denver, CO 80203

303.862.3001

Colorado Department of Higher Education

Connecticut Office of Higher Education
450 Columbus Blvd., Suite 707
Hartford, CT 06103-1841

860.947.1800

Connecticut Office of Higher Education

Delaware Department of Education
The Townsend Building
401 Federal St., Suite 2
Dover, DE 19901-3639

302.735.4000

Delaware Department of Education

Commission for Independent Education
325 W. Gaines St., Suite 1414
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400

850.245.0505

Florida Department of Education

Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission
2082 E. Exchange Pl., Suite 220
Tucker, GA 30084

770.414.3300

Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission

Business Registration Division of the Hawaii Department
of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
PO Box 40
Honolulu, HI 96810

808.587.4272

Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Idaho State Board of Education
PO Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0037

208.334.2270

Idaho State Board of Education

Illinois Board of Higher Education
1 N. Old State Capitol Plaza, Suite 333
Springfield, IL 62701-1377

217.557.7359

Illinois Board of Higher Education

Board for Proprietary Education Indiana Commission for Higher Education
101 W. Ohio St., Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN 46204

317.464.4400

Indiana Commission for Higher Education

Iowa College Student Aid Commission
475 SW fifth St., Suite D
Des Moines, IA 50319

515.725.3400

Iowa College Aid

The Kansas Board of Regents

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
1024 Capital Center Dr., Suite 320
Frankfort, KY 40601-8204

502.573.1555

 Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

State of Louisiana Board of Regents
1201 N. Third St., Suite 6-200
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

225.342.4253

State of Louisiana Board of Regents

Alternate contact:
Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Section
P.O. Box 94005
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9005

225.326.6464 or 800.351.4889

Maine State Board of Education (MSBE)
23 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0023

207.624.6846

Maine Department of Education

Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC)
6 N. Liberty St., 10th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201

410.767.3301

Maryland Higher Education Commission

Alternative contact:
Maryland Office of the Attorney General
200 St. Paul Place
Baltimore, MD 21202

410.576.6300 or 888.743.0023; TDD 410.576.6372

Maryland Office of the Attorney General

Massachusetts Board of Higher Education
One Ashburton Place, Suite 1401
Boston, MA 02108-1696

617.994.6950

Massachusetts Department of Higher Education

Michigan Department of Education
PO Box 30008
Lansing, MI 48909

517.373.9235

Michigan Department of Education

Minnesota Office of Higher Education
1450 Energy Park Dr., Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55108

651.259.3975 or 800.657.3866

Minnesota Office of Higher Education

Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation
3825 Ridgewood Rd.
Jackson, MS 39211

601.432.6372

Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation

Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development
205 Jefferson St.
Jefferson City, MO 65102-1469

573.751.2361

Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development

Montana Board of Regents
Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education – Montana University System
560 N. Park Ave.
PO Box 203201
Helena, MT 59620-3201

 406.449.9124

Montana Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education

Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education
PO Box 95005
Lincoln, NE 68509-5005

402.471.2847

Nebraska’s Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education

Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education
3663 E. Sunset Road, Suite 202
Las Vegas, NV 89120

702.486.7330

Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education

New Hampshire Department of Education
101 Pleasant Street
Concord, NH 03301-3494

603.271.3494

New Hampshire Department of Education

New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education
1 John Fitch Plaza, 10^th Floor
PO Box 542
Trenton, NJ 08625-0542

609.292.4310 or 609.984.2709

New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education

New Mexico Higher Education Department
2044 Galisteo St., Suite 4
Santa Fe, NM 87505-2100

505.476.8400

New Mexico Higher Education Department

New York State Education Department
Office of College & University Evaluation Education Bldg.
5 North Mezzanine, 89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234

518.474.2593

New York State Office of Higher Education

North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaints
c/o Student Complaints
910 Raleigh Rd.
Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2688

919.962.4538

North Carolina Post-Secondary Education

Alternative contact:
Consumer Protection Division
Attorney General’s Office
Mail Service Center 9001
Raleigh, NC 27699-9001

877.566.7226 or 919.716.6000 (En Espanol (919) 716-0058)

North Carolina Department of Justice

North Dakota University System
Core Technology Services
2000 44^th St. SW, Suite 301
Fargo, ND 58103

North Dakota University System

Ohio Department of Higher Education
25 South Front Street
Columbus, OH 43215

614.466.6000

Ohio Department of Higher Education

Oklahoma State Regents of Higher Education
655 Research Pkwy, Suite 200
Oklahoma City, OK 73104-3603

405.225.9100 or 405.225.9142

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission
Office of Private Postsecondary Education
3225 25^th St. SE
Salem, OR 97302

503.378.5690

Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission

Pennsylvania Department of Education
333 Market St., 12^th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333

717.783.6785

Pennsylvania Department of Education

Consejo de Educacion Superior de Puerto Rico/Puerto Rico Council on Higher Ed.
PO Box 19900
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00910-1900

787.724.7100 ext. 2022 or ext. 2016

Puerto Rico Departamento de Estado

Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner
560 Jefferson Blvd.
Warwick, RI 02886-1304

401.736.1100

Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Education Commission

Nonpublic Postsecondary Institution Licensing
1333 Main St., Suite 200
Columbia, SC 29201

803.737.3918

South Carolina Commission on Higher Education

South Dakota Secretary of State
Capitol Building
500 E. Capitol Ave, Suite 204
Pierre, SD 51501-5070

605.773.3215

South Dakota Secretary of State

Tennessee Higher Education Commission
Parkway Towers, Suite 1900
404 James Robertson Pkwy
Nashville, TN 37243-0830

615.741.5293 or 615.253.8857

Tennessee Higher Education Commission & Student Assistance Corporation

Texas Workforce Commission
Career Schools and Colleges-Rm 226-T
101 East 15^th Street
Austin, TX 78778-0001

1800.558.8321

Texas Workforce Commission

Texas Alternate Contact #1:
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Office of General Counsel
P.O. Box 12788
Austin, TX 78711-2788

512.427.6101

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Texas Alternate Contact #2:

Texas Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
P.O. Box 12548
Austin, TX 78711-2548

Texas Office of the Attorney General

Utah System of Higher Education State Board of Regents
60 South 400 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1284

801.321.7200 or 1.800.418.8757

Utah System of Higher Education

Vermont Agency of Education
219 North Main St., Suite 402
Barre, VT 05641

781.425.7713 or 802.479.1030

Vermont Agency of Education

Vermont Alternate Contact:
Vermont Attorney General’s Office
109 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05609-1001

802.828.3171

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
James Monroe Building
101 N. 14th St., 10^th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219

804.225.2600

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia

Washington Student Achievement Council
PO Box 43430
Olympia, WA 98504-3430

360.753.7869 or 360.753.7866

Washington Student Achievement Council

Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Higher Education Licensure Commission
1050 First St. NE
Washington, DC 20002

202.727.6436

Washington, DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education

West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
1018 Kanawha Boulevard East, Suite 700
Charleston, WV 25301

304.558.2101

West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission

State of Wisconsin
Educational Approval Program
P.O. Box 8366
Madison, WI 53708-8366

608.266.1996

Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services

Wyoming Department of Education
122 W. 25^th St., Suite E200
Cheyenne, WY 82002

307.777.7675

Wyoming Department of Education

Office of Protection and Advocacy
Attn: Dr. Peter Tinitali
Executive Office Building
Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799

684.699.2441

American Samoa Office of Protection & Advocacy

Office of Attorney General
287 W O’Brien Dr.
Hagatna, Guam 96910

671.475.3324

Guam Office of Attorney General

State Higher Education Agency, Northern Marianas College
POB 501250
Saipan MP 96950-1250

Northern Mariana Islands Alternate Contact:
Office of Attorney General
Juan A Sablan Memorial Bldg.
Capital Hill,
Caller Box 10007, Saipan, MP 96950

670.234.5498

Northern Mariana Islands Office of the Attorney General

Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands
Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs
Golden Rock Shopping Center,
3000 Estate Golden Rock, Suite 9, St. Croix, VI 00820

 340.713.2754

Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands